§ 69. Sir Gifford Foxasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any steps are being taken to assist the marketing of the products of the Colonial Empire?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreI am glad to have this opportunity of announcing that His Majesty's Government have approved proposals for a scheme to promote marketing of Colonial produce in the United Kingdom and overseas. With the hon. Member's permission, I propose to circulate a fuller statement regarding this in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the statement:
§ As a result of the careful examination of the question by an inter-Departmental Committee, His Majesty's Government have approved proposals for a scheme to promote the marketing of Colonial produce in the United Kingdom and overseas. It is proposed that this scheme should be supervised by a board to be called "The Colonial Empire Marketing Board," of which the Secretary of State for the Colonies will be chairman and which will include representatives of the business world, including the marketing side of Colonial products.
§ The board will possess executive and not merely advisory functions. Its activities will be closely co-ordinated with the activities in economic matters of the Colonial Office, but it will have its own office and secretariat for which financial provision will be sought in due course. Expenditure for the board on the basis proposed will probably be of the order of £52,000 a year when the scheme is in full operation.
§ It is proposed that expenditure from United Kingdom funds on scientific research arising out of the activities of the Colonial Empire Marketing Board will be met from the Colonial Development Fund.